IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0977643
(2007-10-25)
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등록번호 |
US-7757498
(2010-08-09)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Wolski, Peter F.
- Jablonski, Thaddeus M.
- Elsom, Kyle B.
- Schertz, Eric
- Leaver, Daniel C.
- Brandt, Kevin
- Manisco, Todd
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
6 인용 특허 :
14 |
초록
▼
A beverage dispensing system is characterized by a beverage dispenser and a beverage dispensing tower located remote from the beverage dispenser. The beverage dispenser has a cold plate and the tower has a heat exchanger. To deliver chilled beverage components to and for dispensing by the tower, a c
A beverage dispensing system is characterized by a beverage dispenser and a beverage dispensing tower located remote from the beverage dispenser. The beverage dispenser has a cold plate and the tower has a heat exchanger. To deliver chilled beverage components to and for dispensing by the tower, a closed-loop water circulating circuit extends between and includes a fluid chilling circuit of the cold plate and a heat exchange circuit of the heat exchanger. The closed-loop circuit is fluid coupled to a beverage valve of the tower to deliver chilled water to the valve, and a supply of beverage syrup is fluid coupled to the tower valve through a fluid chilling circuit of the heat exchanger for delivery of chilled syrup to the valve for mixing with chilled water in the dispensing of a beverage from the tower valve.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. A beverage dispensing system, comprising: a beverage dispenser including a beverage dispensing valve and a cold plate having fluid chilling circuits; a beverage dispensing tower remote from said beverage dispenser and including a beverage dispensing valve and a heat exchanger
What is claimed is: 1. A beverage dispensing system, comprising: a beverage dispenser including a beverage dispensing valve and a cold plate having fluid chilling circuits; a beverage dispensing tower remote from said beverage dispenser and including a beverage dispensing valve and a heat exchanger having a heat exchange circuit and a fluid chilling circuit; means for flowing a beverage component through said heat exchanger fluid chilling circuit to a beverage component inlet to said tower beverage dispensing valve; a closed-loop fluid circulating circuit extending between said beverage dispenser and said tower and including a fluid chilling circuit of said cold plate and said heat exchange circuit of said heat exchanger; and means for circulating fluid through said closed-loop circuit to chill the fluid upon passage through said cold plate fluid chilling circuit and to deliver the chilled fluid to and through said heat exchange circuit of said heat exchanger to chill beverage component flowed through said heat exchanger fluid chilling circuit, so that chilled beverage component is delivered to said tower beverage dispensing valve. 2. A beverage dispensing system as in claim 1, wherein said circulating means circulates water through said closed-loop circuit, and including means for fluid coupling chilled water in said closed-loop circuit to a water inlet to said tower beverage valve. 3. A beverage dispensing system as in claim 1, wherein said beverage dispenser includes a bin for holding a supply of ice, a cold plate compartment containing said cold plate, and means for delivering ice from said bin into said cold plate compartment and into heat exchange contact with said cold plate to chill said cold plate. 4. A beverage dispensing system as in claim 1, wherein said cold plate fluid chilling circuits include a first fluid chilling circuit for chilling a second beverage component for dispensing by said beverage dispenser beverage dispensing valve and an auxiliary fluid chilling circuit, said beverage dispenser further including valve means having a first state for coupling said auxiliary fluid chilling circuit in said closed-loop fluid circulating circuit and a second state for removing said auxiliary fluid chilling circuit from said closed-loop fluid circulating circuit and for fluid coupling said auxiliary fluid chilling circuit in fluid circuit with said first fluid chilling circuit for chilling of the second beverage component to be dispensed by said beverage dispenser valve by both said first and auxiliary cold plate fluid chilling circuits. 5. A beverage dispensing system as in claim 1, including: a second beverage dispensing tower remote from said beverage dispenser and including a beverage dispensing valve and a heat exchanger having a heat exchange circuit and a fluid chilling circuit; and means for flowing a second beverage component through said second tower heat exchanger fluid chilling circuit to a beverage component inlet to said second tower beverage dispensing valve, said closed-loop fluid circulating circuit further including said heat exchange circuit of said second tower heat exchanger, so that chilled fluid in said closed-loop circuit is also flowed through said heat exchange circuit of said second tower heat exchanger to chill the second beverage component flowed through said fluid chilling circuit of said second tower heat exchanger, whereby chilled second beverage component is delivered to said second tower beverage dispensing valve, and wherein said circulating means circulates water through said closed-loop circuit, and including means for fluid coupling chilled water in said closed-loop circuit to a water inlet to said second tower beverage valve. 6. A beverage dispensing system as in claim 3, including means responsive to dispensing of beverage at said remote tower for operating said means for delivering ice from said bin into said cold plate compartment. 7. A beverage dispensing system, comprising: a beverage dispenser including a beverage dispensing valve and a cold plate having fluid chilling circuits; a beverage dispensing tower remote from said beverage dispenser and including a beverage dispensing valve; a closed-loop beverage component circulating circuit extending between said beverage dispenser and said tower and including a fluid chilling circuit of said cold plate for chilling a first beverage component in said fluid chilling circuit; means for fluid coupling the first beverage component in said circulating circuit to a beverage component inlet to said tower beverage dispensing valve for dispensing by said valve; means for replenishing in said circulating circuit the first beverage component dispensed by said tower beverage dispensing valve; and means for circulating the first beverage component through said circulating circuit to chill the beverage component upon passage through said cold plate fluid chilling circuit and to deliver chilled beverage component to said tower for dispensing by said tower beverage dispensing valve. 8. A beverage dispensing system as in claim 7, wherein said cold plate fluid chilling circuits include a first fluid chilling circuit for chilling a second beverage component for dispensing by said beverage dispenser beverage dispensing valve and an auxiliary fluid chilling circuit, said beverage dispenser further including valve means having a first state for fluid coupling said auxiliary fluid chilling circuit into said closed-loop fluid circulating circuit and a second state for removing said auxiliary fluid chilling circuit from said circulating circuit and for fluid coupling said auxiliary fluid chilling circuit into fluid circuit with said first fluid chilling circuit for chilling of the second beverage component to be dispensed by said beverage dispenser valve by both said first and auxiliary cold plate fluid chilling circuits. 9. A beverage dispensing system as in claim 7, wherein said beverage dispenser includes a bin for holding a supply of ice and a cold plate compartment containing said cold plate, and including means responsive to dispensing of the first beverage at said remote tower for delivering ice from said bin into said cold plate compartment. 10. A method of dispensing beverages, comprising the steps of: providing a beverage dispenser having a beverage dispensing valve and a cold plate having fluid chilling circuits; providing a beverage dispensing tower remote from the beverage dispenser and having a beverage dispensing valve and a heat exchanger having a heat exchange circuit and a fluid chilling circuit; flowing beverage component through the heat exchanger fluid chilling circuit to a beverage component inlet to the tower beverage dispensing valve; and circulating fluid through a closed-loop fluid circulating circuit extending between the beverage dispenser and the tower and including a fluid chilling circuit of the cold plate and the heat exchange circuit of the heat exchanger to chill the fluid as it passes through the cold plate fluid chilling circuit and to deliver the chilled fluid to and through the heat exchange circuit of the heat exchanger to chill beverage syrup flowed through the heat exchanger fluid chilling circuit, so that chilled beverage syrup is delivered to the tower beverage dispensing valve. 11. A method as in claim 10, wherein said circulating step comprises circulating water through the closed-loop circuit, and including the step of fluid coupling chilled water in said closed-loop circuit to a water inlet to the tower beverage valve. 12. A method as in claim 10, wherein the beverage dispenser includes a bin for holding a supply of ice and a cold plate compartment containing the cold plate, and including the step of delivering ice from the bin into the cold plate compartment and into heat exchange contact with the cold plate in response to dispensing of beverage component by the tower beverage dispensing valve. 13. A method as in claim 10, wherein the cold plate fluid chilling circuits include a first fluid chilling circuit for chilling a beverage component for dispensing by the beverage dispenser beverage dispensing valve and an auxiliary fluid chilling circuit, and including the mutually exclusive steps of either fluid coupling the auxiliary fluid chilling circuit in the closed-loop fluid circulating circuit or fluid coupling the auxiliary fluid chilling circuit in fluid circuit with the first fluid chilling circuit for chilling of the beverage component to be dispensed by the beverage dispenser valve by both the first and auxiliary cold plate fluid chilling circuits. 14. A method as in claim 10, including the steps of: providing a second beverage dispensing tower remote from the beverage dispenser and including a beverage dispensing valve and a heat exchanger having a heat exchange circuit and a fluid chilling circuit; flowing a second beverage component through the second tower heat exchanger fluid chilling circuit to a beverage component inlet to the second tower beverage dispensing valve; and fluid coupling the closed-loop fluid circulating circuit in-line with the heat exchange circuit of the second tower heat exchanger, so that chilled fluid in the closed-loop circuit is also flowed through the heat exchange circuit of the second tower heat exchanger to chill second beverage component flowed through the fluid chilling circuit of the second tower heat exchanger, whereby chilled beverage component is delivered to the second tower beverage dispensing valve, wherein the circulating step circulates water through the closed-loop circuit, and including the step of fluid coupling chilled water in the closed-loop circuit to a water inlet to the second tower beverage valve. 15. A method as in claim 12, including the steps of sensing the dispensing of beverage at the remote tower, and operating said ice delivering step, in response to dispensing of beverage at the remote tower, to deliver ice from the bin into the cold plate compartment. 16. A method of dispensing beverage, comprising the steps of: providing a beverage dispenser having a beverage dispensing valve and a cold plate having fluid chilling circuits; providing a beverage dispensing tower remote from the beverage dispenser and that has a beverage dispensing valve; flowing a first beverage component through a closed-loop beverage component circulating circuit that includes a fluid chilling circuit of the cold plate and that extends between the beverage dispenser and the tower; fluid coupling the first beverage component in the circulating circuit to a beverage component inlet to the tower beverage dispensing valve for dispensing of the first beverage component by the tower beverage dispensing valve; and replenishing in the circulating circuit the first beverage component dispensed by the tower beverage dispensing valve. 17. A method as in claim 16, wherein the first beverage component is a diluent for beverage syrup, and including the step of delivering beverage syrup to a syrup inlet to the tower beverage dispensing valve. 18. A method as in claim 16, wherein the cold plate fluid chilling circuits include a first fluid chilling circuit for chilling a second beverage component for dispensing by the beverage dispenser beverage dispensing valve and an auxiliary fluid chilling circuit and the beverage dispenser has a valve, and including the further steps of operating the valve to be in either a first state that fluid couples the cold plate auxiliary fluid chilling circuit into the closed-loop circulating circuit or to a second state that removes the auxiliary fluid chilling circuit from the circulating circuit and fluid couples the auxiliary fluid chilling circuit into fluid circuit with the cold plate first fluid chilling circuit so that the second beverage component flows through both the first and auxiliary cold plate fluid chilling circuits. 19. A method as in claim 16, wherein the beverage dispenser has a bin for holding a supply of ice and a cold plate compartment for containing the cold plate, and including the step of delivering ice from the bin into the cold plate compartment upon dispensing of the first beverage at the tower.
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